Chapter 4: Signs and Shadows
Hook: When instinct becomes obsession, the truth demands attention.
The next day, Reyes returned with backup — hospital security, maintenance staff, and a nervous couple of nurses. But as soon as they reached Room 207, Nero refused to enter. Growls rumbled deep in his throat, and he circled the door like a sentinel guarding some unseen threat.
The staff attempted to brush off his behavior. “It’s just an old room,” one nurse insisted. “Maybe mice or a draft.”
But Reyes knew better. The files, the locket, the whispering… nothing in logic explained it. He started researching Room 207’s history, digging through old hospital records. What he found made his stomach turn.
Decades ago, a fire had been reported in the hospital wing where Room 207 sat. Officially, no one died. Unofficially, several children had been admitted for treatment and were never seen again. The room had been sealed, but rumors persisted of strange sounds — crying, laughter, footsteps — echoing through empty corridors.
Cliffhanger: That night, Nero vanished again. This time, his barking was heard from outside the hospital, at the old, long-abandoned wing.
